If this is the first time you have landed on this site
Lonavala Holiday via this page ‘
lonavala travel’ my understanding would be that you are either planning or intending to visit Lonavala for a holiday. On this page I have have provided some of the basic information required to do a lonavala travel.
If this is the first time you are visiting lonavala or planning a lonavala holiday I really suggest you visit my first post
lonavala holiday which will give you a good idea of what you can expect while in lonavala. I have highlighted some aspects of lonavala city and provided some really nice lonavala trivia (trust me, it helps to know more about the place you are actually planning to go). Some of the lonavala attractions and lonavala places to visit I have mentioned about are lonavala amby valley, lonavala bushi dam, lonavala dam, lonavala tiger point and lion’s point, lonavala lake and the non-existent lonavala beach.
I have also touched upon some aspects of lonavala accommodation, lonavala restaurants and the prized lonavala chikki. I think the post will give you a fair idea about this lovely paradise called lonavala.
I just want to focus on some important aspects of doing a lonavala travel in this post. Usually people visiting lonavala only fall into 3 categories,
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the weekender groups looking for some respite from the hot Mumbai or congested Pune,
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the conference groups (big corporate money blowers) from MNC’s and other sectors located in both Mumbai and Pune and
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foreign tourists who come in via a lonavala tour package and usually only come to visit the famous lonavala caves namely the Lonavala Karla Caves, the Lonavala Bhaja Caves and the Lonavala Bedsa Caves.
Either ways, the entry points are always lonavala from pune or lonavala from mumbai. So, let me start off by giving some lonavala information with respect to getting to lonavala and on from there.
lonavala from mumbai
There are many methods available for you to get to lonavala from Mumbai. As lonavala mumbai distance is only about 96km its a short 2 hrs journey in most cases (Pray that it hasn’t rained so heavy that there has been a landslide else expect to spend a good 6-8 hrs travelling). Most of the weekender groups prefer to drive into lonavala in their own cars (and that’s the reason why lonavala city gets extremely packed and even chokes on weekends). Ever since Mumbai Pune expressway has been in service it is now the most preferred choice for most people driving into lonavala (not for me though, I find it expensive and useless, you miss the entire charm of the lonavala khandala ghat and believe me the views from there are breathtaking.)
Corporate usually hire their own buses and pack into the small lonavala roads and alleys adding further to the traffic problems (Corporate, get the hint!) and its pretty much similar as far as the lonavala tour package operators.
Anyway, you don’t need to worry if you don’t have your own vehicle, you have plenty of options. Most people prefer taking the bus. Now, there are both state transport buses commonly known as the ASIAD bus service and private operators like Neeta Travels. Mind you, these bus services are up till Pune and you have to inform the bus driver before hand that you would like to get down at lonavala (You get charged the Pune fare as well). As stopping at the express way is not allowed and these buses don’t take the lonavala exit it sometimes becomes quite tricky specially with traffic police around. Of lately though, as this is the most common method mumbaikars use to reach lonavala most of the operators pretty much know the drill.
Once at the expressway stop, you need to just walk down the lonavala exit and you will more often than not find an array of rickshaw’s waiting to fleece you and take you to the destination of your choice. (Point to note: Rates are fixed to different locations inside of lonavala so if you are not sure that your being quoted the right price ask a couple of rickshaws what they would take to drop you to your destination)
The easiest way to take the state transport buses is to flag a taxi while in Mumbai and ask him to take you to the ‘Dadar Bombay Pune Bus Stop’ or ‘Dadar ASIAD Bus Stop’. Once there you have a choice of taking the Air-conditioned Shivneri bus or the non air-conditioned variant called the Maha Bus. The prices change quite often but expect to pay around Rs.200 + for AC and Rs.135 + for Non-AC.
As for private operators you don’t need to go searching for them. As soon as you arrive at Dadar bus stop you will be hounded by a dozen or so of agents all trying to lure you into their buses (My experience with private operators has not been very pleasant as they tend to delay starting until all seats are taken up and will stop excessively until the bus is absolutely filled. Such is not the case with State Transport buses). The rates are usually around the same as the state transport and buses are mostly air conditioned. If you are lucky you might get to watch a movie but most of the times the TV’s and DVD players don’t work on the buses. [Note to foreign tourist: its better to check up before hand and book on private bus operators as they have pick ups at multiple locations]
Buses generally travel every half an hour to Pune from Mumbai.
The faster of way of getting to lonavala is either take a train or a taxi. You can get a taxi from exactly opposite of the State Transport Bus stop at Dadar. Again, you have a choice of air-conditioned taxis or non air-conditioned ones. There is price difference of around Rs.100 in the tickets. Taxi’s are more expensive as compared to buses as they only seat 4 passengers along with the driver and reach an hour quicker (sometimes more) as compared to the bus. The last I checked the prices were around Rs.350-400 per seat. (Makes sense to hire a full cab if you are a group of 4)
The other option and one of the best options as per me is to travel by train if you can manage to get the tickets before hand (Going unreserved is a big no-no at for me even if its just for a couple of hours ). Most of the trains going to Pune will stop at lonavala although it is always better to confirm about your lonavala mumbai trains before booking your ticket. Please keep in mind that train timings and starting points change frequently so check up before leave). Trains are comparatively cheaper than travelling via roads and tend to be faster as well. In most cases you should expect to reach lonavala railway station in a couple of hours or so. Yes, there is a quaint little lonavala railway station and it is very pretty if you ask me. Again you will have a line-up of rickshaws waiting for you as soon as you exit the lonavala railway station so moving on to your already booked lonavala guest house or lonavala resorts hotels should not be a problem.
lonavala from pune
From Pune its pretty much the same story as it is from Mumbai. The first step is to get to Pune Railway Station as all the 3 means of transport (bus, taxi and railway) operate from there. Essentially the state transport bus stop and taxi service is located just a minutes walk from the Pune Railway station. The prices are same as you would have to pay for Mumbai and as these buses, trains and taxi services travel to Mumbai you have to request the driver to drop you off at lonavala. lonavala distance from pune is around 64 km so its relatively quicker to get to lonavala from Pune than from Mumbai.
The nuances and the benefits of travelling to lonavala from pune are pretty similar to that of travelling to lonavala from mumbai so I suggest you read up the section above in case you skipped it thinking that you were going to get to lonavala only from Pune (Besides my hands are tired now from typing)
lonavala travel
Once in lonavala, it is pretty simple to get to places, you either have a choice of local rickshaws or taxi’s which most of the lonavala hotels and resorts would be happy to arrange for you. Again, always ask for the price first and only once both parties have mutually agreed to the price travel via local transport. Don’t be afraid to haggle and bringing the price down. It is what they are expecting too and hence they (rickshaw and taxi drivers) will inflate the prices before hand.
I will try and put out a lonavala city map soon for those who intend to do it on their own.
Hope the lonavala information that I have provided here-in is useful for your next lonavala trip as it is my keen desire that I am able to show you a side of this beautiful place most people miss out on. Until next time Cheers!
More to come:
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Loads of lonavala photos, lonavala pictures and those special lonavala pics that will blow you off your feet and make you want to come to lonavala right now.
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Some super cool lonavala wallpaper to remind you that fun trip you had on your weekend.
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Information on lonavala pune local trains & lonavala pune local train timetable
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A lonavala road map & a lonavala detailed map.
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A complete lonavala train schedule
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More information on lonavala tourist spots & the most hidden and special lonavala sight seeing locations that you will not find on any map.
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More on films shot in lonavala or as I call it lonavala films
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More unknown, unheard of and unseen lonavala sight seeing locations.
Question for you: is there a lonavala yoga institute, a lonavala yoga center ?
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